WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for Sept. 19
The cruiserweights are set to crash the party on WWE Raw just ahead of Clash of Champions.
Raw's roster will soon boast some of the most thrilling in-ring performers around, wrestlers under 205 pounds who wowed the WWE fanbase throughout the recent Cruiserweight Classic tournament.
But Raw can't be all about welcoming the insanely athletic Cedric Alexander, the gravity-defying Gran Metalik or the brand-new cruiserweight champ T.J. Perkins. WWE has a pay-per-view to hype; Clash of Champions will arrive on Sunday, Sept. 25.
Monday's go-home show has to crank up the intensity on all of the title bouts set for the event.
How will Seth Rollins prepare for his upcoming Universal Championship title shot against Kevin Owens? Is Rusev vs. Roman Reigns for the United States Championship inevitable? Will Charlotte watch the list of potential challengers to her women's title grow longer?
Backstage reports, the Raw preview on WWE.com and current storyline arcs offer a look ahead at what to expect when Raw airs on Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network.
The Cruiserweights Arrive
High-flyers and technical masters will elevate Raw immediately. The compelling action fans saw unfold during the summer's Cruiserweight Classic will now head to Monday nights.
Perkins won the 32-man tournament last Wednesday, becoming the cruiserweight champ. He now sits atop a division comprised of international stars, indy favorites and a returning familiar face.
In addition to Perkins, the cruiserweights headed to Raw, as listed on WWE.com, are as follows:
- Brian Kendrick
- Rich Swann
- Gran Metalik
- Cedric Alexander
- Lince Dorado
- Noam Dar
It will be a struggle to properly showcase all of those grapplers while continuing Raw's rivalries and storylines. But judging by the success of the CWC, Perkins, Alexander, Dar and the rest of the new arrivals will add electricity to the show each week.
The Raw writing team will have to hurry a Perkins-centered narrative along. He has to acquire a challenger and WWE has to start selling his Clash of Champions title match all in one night.
News, Potential Spoilers
Cures may be on their way for the depth issues hurting the Raw women's division.
Former Divas champ Paige is set to return before long. The fiery Superstar has been out thanks to a suspension, and during that 30-day stretch, rumors emerged about her being close to leaving the company.
Paige issued a statement refuting those reports and clarified what led to her wellness policy violation:
Her suspension now over, the wait to see her in a ring may be short. PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson wrote, "Paige is slated to return to the road for WWE at this Monday's Raw taping."
Additionally, Johnson reported, "We are told that Emma, who has been out of action with a back injury, is slated to be on the road this coming week for WWE so she will be returning shortly."
Emma is a free agent at the moment, having not been healthy during July's draft. She did, however, work with the Raw crew on Saturday's live event in Louisville, Kentucky, as a guest referee, per the Internet Wrestling Database.
PWStream shared a shot of her making her way down the entrance ramp:
If those women don't show up on Raw, fans will have to settle for "the gift of Jericho." As James Caldwell of PWTorch noted, Chris Jericho is advertised for Monday's show.
Jericho is set to face Sami Zayn at Sunday's PPV. There is no mention of the bout in the Raw preview on WWE.com, but one would expect the feud to advance in some fashion.
Raw Streaks
Braun Strowman continues to feed on lesser men.
The standard monster-heel arc is underway with the powerhouse. Strowman has gobbled up jobbers with little effort and recently moved on to slightly more challenging prey in Sin Cara.
Per CageMatch.net, Strowman is now 7-0 since the WWE draft.
His opponents haven't lasted long against him either. His win over Sin Cara on Sept. 5 went just 2:12. That remains the predator's longest bout post-brand split.
On the other hand, the losses keep coming for Enzo Amore.
Amore dropped a match to Epico of The Shining Stars on last week's Raw. As seen on his CageMatch.net profile, that made four defeats in a row overall, and made him 0-3 in his last three singles bouts.
As red-hot as Amore has been, it's surprising to see WWE trample on him so much. Perhaps the company believes he's popular enough to overcome these on-screen failures, but eventually the audience starts to buy into results like that.
En Route to Clash of Champions
The ongoing battle between Cesaro and Sheamus is guaranteed one more round.
Sheamus is now up 3-2 in the rivals' Best of Seven series. The sixth match is scheduled for Monday's Raw with The King of Swing needing a victory to force a deciding bout.
Signs point to Cesaro continuing his comeback after going down 0-3. It makes perfect sense for WWE to push the series to seven with a PPV coming up. High-stakes and hard-hitting, Cesaro vs. Sheamus VII would be a valuable addition to the Clash of Champions card.
Last week, Sasha Banks earned the right to challenge Charlotte at that PPV.
The Boss knocked off Dana Brooke and Bayley in a Triple Threat match that cemented her status as the No. 1 contender to the the Women's Championship.
It's now up to WWE to build the excitement around that contest. That process may include the champ unraveling. The WWE.com Raw preview hinted at that when it asked, "Can Charlotte keep it together as her rematch with Sasha Banks approaches?"
Charlotte's crumbling relationship with her protege and lackey Brooke promises to play a part in the story ahead of Clash of Champions.
Brooke slapped Charlotte last week and tried to earn a title shot against her. She later apologized and playing a subservient role again, but it's clear that an implosion between the two is on the way.
Monday's Raw will allow Rollins and Rusev a shot at gaining major momentum ahead of Sunday's event.
Rollins is set to challenge Owens for the Universal Championship at the PPV. Rusev is presumably going to collide with Reigns, who he feuded with up until SummerSlam.
Before those contests, though, Rollins and Rusev will face each other a week after Rollins ruined Reigns' chances of making the universal title bout a Triple Threat match and The Bulgarian Brute beat down Reigns.
That points to The Big Dog playing a major role in this Raw showdown. The Raw preview asked, "After being locked in Rusev's excruciating Accolade submission hold, what retribution might Reigns have in store for The Super Athlete?"
The build for two matches are set to overlap as Reigns' animosity spills over.
That chaotic situation, Cesaro vs. Sheamus and the cruiserweights promise to make for an intriguing edition of Raw. WWE will be hoping that translates into better numbers. Last Monday's show only scored a 1.88 rating against the return of the NFL, per ProWrestling.net.
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